Dear Friends,

This month is a historic one for Josiah Venture.

In November of 1993, twenty years ago this month, the first two Josiah Venture couples moved to the countries of the Czech Republic and Poland. These dates have special significance to me, since my wife, Connie, and I were part of this first team along with Dan and Laura Hash, who are still serving with Josiah Venture in Poland.

Because of the significance of this milestone, we’ve set aside the entire next year to celebrate God’s goodness as we mark the 20th year anniversary of the founding of Josiah Venture. You will be hearing exciting stories and special items of praise throughout the year.

There is much to thank God for! From our small beginnings in 1993, Josiah Venture has grown to include 230 full time staff serving in 13 countries of Central and Eastern Europe with support organizations in both the US and Canada.

After 20 years in the trenches, we are still pressing hard toward the same vision: A movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society.

I’m so encouraged by how I see God answering our prayers! He is drawing young people to Himself and raising up a new generation of spiritual leaders for these needy countries. Last year our team was able to equip over 5,000 young leaders and personally see over 1,000 young people make professions of faith in Christ. We are praising God for this eternal fruit!

Some of you have been giving to Josiah Venture from the beginning – others of you have just recently joined us. To every one of you, I’d like to say a special thank you for the crucial role you play in making this vision a reality.

The best is still to come!